Building support with concealed electronic component for a structure

ABSTRACT

Building support with a concealed electronic component for a structure, including: a rigid support member; a mounting attachment affixed to the rigid support member, the mounting attachment adapted to support an electronic component; and a transceiver coupled to the electronic component, the transceiver adapted to support an external communication link. Other embodiments provide a backing material to support an electronic component concealed within a building structural element, wherein the building structural element comprises one or more rigid building support members, the backing material including: a substrate; a structure attachment along at least one surface of the substrate, the attachment adapted to attach the substrate to a rigid building support member; and one or more electronic component attachments disposed on a major surface of the rigid substrate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the benefit of the U.S. patentapplication entitled “DATA FARMING AND SERVICE,” having Ser. No.13/772,853, filed on Feb. 21, 2013, the entire content of which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a concealedbuilding support, and, in particular, to an apparatus, system and methodfor providing a concealed building support that is adapted to house orsupport an electronic component.

2. Description of Related Art

It is well known that we are a data driven society. Over the pastseveral years there has been a push to convert all of our society'sglobal data, communications, media, etc into a digital format and storethat information on physical media such as hard drives, CDs and DVDs.The amount of digital data that our society is creating is growingexponentially, and the corresponding need for data storage is growingexponentially. Everything from books, pictures, movies, television,personal files, business files, telephone conversations, and more, arebeing converted to a digital format and stored on physical media asdigital data. Certain digital data may need to be archived for anextended period of time in order to satisfy recordkeeping laws, therebyfurther expanding the storage needs. Most new data is born into thedigital world while all existing media is being converted. Digital datastorage space has become both a resource and a commodity.

Digital data has traditionally been stored locally in a storage assetassociated with a computer that generated the data, e.g., on thecomputer's hard drive, or stored onto magnetic, optical, and/orremovable storage media such as CDs, DVDs, removable flash drives,floppy disks, and so forth. A single storage asset, or a small number ofclustered storage assets, may consume a relatively modest amount ofenergy, and/or generate a modest amount of heat, and/or generate littleattention or scrutiny from outsiders. Alternatively, the digital datamay have traditionally been stored nearby, such as memory accessible toa server on a local area network (“LAN”). These storage solutionsrequire that an end user or an administrator attend to the storage mediaby, e.g., replacing defective media such as a failed hard drive,securely storing removable media such as flash drives, CDs, DVDs, etc.when not in use, rebooting a client or server if either computer crashesor enters an unstable state, making regular backups to guard againstdata corruption or accidental erasure of data, and so forth.

Due to the inconvenience involved with maintaining local or nearbycomputer storage, and the resultant probabilities of data loss if thecomputers or storage media are not properly maintained, a trend hasdeveloped in recent years to migrate storage to “the Cloud,” which canthen be remotely accessed from devices such as computers, laptops,tablets and phones. Data storage in the Cloud requires fastcommunication access to a remotely-located storage system. Communicationaccess is typically through the Internet, using Ethernet and TCP/IP.Other protocols may be used depending upon the data, such as real-timetransport control protocol (“RTCP”) as known in the art for streamingmedia.

Cloud-based storage shifts the burden of maintaining data storage assetsto a central manager, e.g., a conventional data warehouse and warehouseoperator. Cloud-based storage typically requires a relatively largenumber of storage assets. Economies of scale may be achieved for someaspects of operation, such as having dedicated technical supportavailable in order to tend to hardware failures, enforce security orbackup policies, and so forth.

However, a concentration of storage assets in a data warehouse maycreate problems that exceed a tolerable level unless mitigated. Forexample, an N-fold increase in the number of storage assets may bythemselves cause an N-fold increase in power consumption and heatgeneration, which in turn requires higher-capacity climate controlequipment and concomitant further increases in energy consumption forcooling. Modern data warehouses have become massive facilities thatconsume large amounts of power, large plots of lands, and requirehigh-capacity communication trunks to support the data traffic.

Furthermore, the conventional data warehouse draws attention to itselfdue to its physical size, the value of the data stored within it, andthe threat of business disruption if the data warehouse were to beattacked or otherwise suffer a failure. Conventional wisdom teaches awayfrom a disfavored maxim known as “security through obscurity,” whichholds that sufficient security of an asset may be achieved by attemptingto hide the asset without the need for overwhelming security protection.Thus the data warehouse requires increased physical security in order toguard against criminals, terrorists and similar threats.

The required infrastructure of a conventional data warehouse, i.e., tosupply the electrical energy, to supply cooling capacity, to supplycommunication network capacity, and to supply physical security,increases the cost and eco-footprint of operating a data warehouse andmay not be appealing to eco-conscious consumers or consumers who seek alower cost to store data in the Cloud.

Therefore, a need exists to provide a Cloud-based storage system that isless resource-intensive to operate than a traditional data warehouse, inorder to provide a lower-cost and/or more eco-friendly storage systemfor customers, and ultimately improved customer satisfaction.

SUMMARY

Embodiments in accordance with the present invention avoid the drawbacksof the known art by providing a dispersed, distributed file system inorder to host Cloud-based storage. Storage nodes, which may beindividual hard drives or clusters of co-located hard drives, may bedispersed and located within buildings that are not ordinarily used fordata warehouses, such as ordinary homes, office buildings, retaillocations, and so forth.

Storage nodes may be located within unobtrusive but otherwise unusedspace of the buildings, such as (in the case of an ordinary home)structural space and/or open interior space that is enclosed by thestructure. Open interior space may include attic space, basement space,and so forth. Structural space may include space within the structureitself, such as space within walls, space under floorboards, and soforth. Structural space is often closed off with limited physical accesscompared to open interior space. The dispersed, redundant,fault-tolerant and unobtrusive nature of the storage nodes reduces theneed for electrical power, environmental control, communication speeds,and elaborate security measures.

Building owners are encouraged to host storage nodes in their propertiesand participate in ongoing operation of a storage network, by receivingfees or other monetary incentives (e.g., royalty checks, discountcoupons from local merchants, etc.), or non-monetary incentives (e.g.,preferred memberships in a business such as a local gym, charitabledonations in their name, etc.).

Embodiments in accordance with the present invention may be marketed todata farmers and Primary Source Data Clients as a “green” (i.e.,eco-friendly) product. Compared to large data centers, embodiments usesubstantially less electricity. Conventional data storage centerstypically use hard drive storage, which use spinning motorized drivesthat are constantly powered. In contrast, embodiments may utilize solidstate technologies for reduced power consumption and reduced heatproduction required for storage. With the use of more efficienttechnology and the dispersal of individual storage assets, large datacenters will not be required. The elimination of these centers would inturn eliminate the need for large heating, ventilation and airconditioning (“HVAC”) equipment and their resultant large power demands.

Embodiments in accordance with the present invention may provide asystem and method for distributed file storage, the system including: aplurality of data farms, each data farm including: a data storagemodule; a local control module comprising a data protection module; anda communication interface between said data farm and a wide-areanetwork; an interface to one or more remote data applications; and anadministrative module configured to record a quantity of data receivedor transmitted by the communication interface of the data farm. Themethod may include: providing a plurality of data farms; accepting datafrom a remote data application; selecting a data farm from among theplurality of data farms in which to store the data; and storing the datain the selected data farm.

Embodiments in accordance with the present invention may provide abuilding support with a concealed electronic component for a structure,including: a rigid support member; a mounting attachment affixed to therigid support member, the mounting attachment adapted to support anelectronic component; and a transceiver coupled to the electroniccomponent, the transceiver adapted to support an external communicationlink.

Embodiments in accordance with the present invention may provide abacking material to support an electronic component concealed within abuilding structural element, wherein the building structural elementcomprises one or more rigid building support members, the backingmaterial including: a substrate; a structure attachment along at leastone surface of the substrate, the attachment adapted to attach thesubstrate to a rigid building support member; and one or more electroniccomponent attachments disposed on a major surface of the rigidsubstrate.

The preceding is a simplified summary of embodiments of the disclosureto provide an understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. Thissummary is neither an extensive nor exhaustive overview of thedisclosure and its various embodiments. It is intended neither toidentify key or critical elements of the disclosure nor to delineate thescope of the disclosure but to present selected concepts of thedisclosure in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detaileddescription presented below. As will be appreciated, other embodimentsof the disclosure are possible utilizing, alone or in combination, oneor more of the features set forth above or described in detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and still further features and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent upon consideration of the followingdetailed description of embodiments thereof, especially when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like referencenumerals in the various figures are utilized to designate likecomponents, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a distributed file system inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates at a high level of abstraction a server of adistributed file system, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary structural storage location, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a housing for a storage apparatus, in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross sectional view of a plurality of housingsdeployed at a data farm, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and arenot meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or theclaims. As used throughout this application, the word “may” is used in apermissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather thanthe mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words“include”, “including”, and “includes” mean including but not limitedto. To facilitate understanding, like reference numerals have been used,where possible, to designate like elements common to the figures.Optional portions of the figures may be illustrated using dashed ordotted lines, unless the context of usage indicates otherwise.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosure will be illustrated below in conjunction with anexemplary communication system. Although well suited for use with, e.g.,a system using a server(s) and/or database(s), the disclosure is notlimited to use with any particular type of communication system orconfiguration of system elements. Those skilled in the art willrecognize that the disclosed techniques may be used in any communicationapplication in which it is desirable to utilize a low-cost andlow-overhead distributed file system.

The exemplary systems and methods of this disclosure will also bedescribed in relation to software, modules, and associated hardware.However, to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure, thefollowing description omits well-known structures, components anddevices that may be shown in block diagram form, are well known, or areotherwise summarized.

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments orother examples described herein. In some instances, well-known methods,procedures, components and circuits have not been described in detail,so as to not obscure the following description. Further, the examplesdisclosed are for exemplary purposes only and other examples may beemployed in lieu of, or in combination with, the examples disclosed. Itshould also be noted the examples presented herein should not beconstrued as limiting of the scope of embodiments of the presentinvention, as other equally effective examples are possible and likely.

As used herein, the term “module” refers generally to a logical sequenceor association of steps, processes or components. For example, asoftware module may comprise a set of associated routines or subroutineswithin a computer program. Alternatively, a module may comprise asubstantially self-contained hardware device. A module may also comprisea logical set of processes irrespective of any software or hardwareimplementation.

The term “computer-readable medium” as used herein refers to anytangible storage and/or transmission medium that participates in storingand/or providing instructions to a processor for execution. Such amedium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatilemedia, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile mediaincludes, for example, NVRAM, or magnetic or optical disks. Volatilemedia includes dynamic memory, such as main memory. Common forms ofcomputer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexibledisk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium,magneto-optical medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards,paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, RAM, PROM,EPROM, FLASH-EPROM, solid state medium like a memory card, any othermemory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, orany other medium from which a computer can read. Computer-readablemedium may also include volatile or non-volatile emerging storage mediasuch as data encoded in chemical or organic-chemical cells, andholographic cells. A digital file attachment to e-mail or otherself-contained information archive or set of archives is considered adistribution medium equivalent to a tangible storage medium. When thecomputer-readable media is configured as a database, it is to beunderstood that the database may be any type of database, such asrelational, hierarchical, object-oriented, and/or the like. Accordingly,the disclosure is considered to include a tangible storage medium ordistribution medium and prior art-recognized equivalents and successormedia, in which the software implementations of the present disclosureare stored.

Embodiments in accordance with the present invention provide a systemfor data storage and backup that will utilize existing underutilized or“wasted” spaces, voids, etc. inside industrial, commercial andresidential buildings in order to generate a new source of data storagespace and create a symbiotic data storage relationship between bigcorporations, small business, homeowners, and data servicers.

The data farms hosts may receive income for storing the data withintheir structures. They may provide a dedicated high-speed internetconnection for the storage system, thus allowing fast access anddownload of backup information as well as the retrieval of documentationat any time.

Embodiments in accordance with the present invention will provide todata generators and data users (e.g., corporate data users) an alternatephysical location to store their digital data and backups. These newdigital storage locales will provide to their users an offer of multiplebackups around the world. This will further protect corporations'backups from natural disasters or attacks, both physical and cyber.

The data storage devices will be installed in “empty” spaces or “voids”in industrial, residential and commercial structures. Such hidden,discreet or unobtrusive locations may include, but are not limited to,cavities inside the wall space, attic space, heating ventilation and airconditioning (“HVAC”) ducts, conduit, etc. Typically the data storagedevices may include solid state storage units within a protectiveenclosure, which are then installed in discreet locations. If the datastorage device is installed within an exterior wall or other boundarywith an area that is not temperature-controlled, the device sheathing orhousing will tend to reduce such variations. The storage devices mayalso be incorporated into a number of construction materials to utilizethe mass of the structure for data storage. For example, along the sideof a steel I-beam and/or steel stud, along the surface of metalpaneling, or voids that may be pre-formed into concrete slabs, planks,studs, etc., and so forth, i.e., substantially any place that a voidexists (either natural or planned). Existing structures could beretrofitted and new construction could use the building materialsprefabricated with data storage devices. The data storage units may beinterconnected and gridded for optimal flow of data and storagethroughout the structure while consuming less energy than traditionalstorage facilities.

The data sent and stored to these data storage devices would be managedand maintained by a third party data servicing company. The third partyproviders would coordinate backups between corporations seeking backupsecurity and the “housers” of the storage units (i.e., the data farmer).Charges may be based on the size of the system and the frequency inwhich information is retrieved for restore purposes. Charges may also bebased on how much data is transferred to or from the “housers” on adaily basis.

Data security is an important consideration related to the transfer andstorage of the data. The data may be encrypted by a third-party providedso if an unauthorized entity attempts to access data stored in a datafarm, the unauthorized entity would not be able to decipher the data.Access by proxy may be allowed, wherein a user or process may access thedata in a data farm on behalf of a end user, decrypt or otherwiseprocess the retrieved data, then send the processed data to the enduser. Improved security is provided at data farms by limiting knowledgeat data farms of their existence and operation only to persons having aneed-to-know at the data farm. A data farmer will not know whoseinformation is being routed through their storage devices, nor will theend-client know precisely at what locations or which data farms theirinformation is stored. This provides the invention's security throughobscurity.

FIG. 1 illustrates at a high level of abstraction a system 100 inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. System 100 includes aplurality of computing nodes 152-1 . . . 152-M hosting one or more userapplications 102-1 . . . 102-M, a plurality of data farms 104-1 . . .104-N, and a server 106, interconnected as shown through a wide areanetwork (“WAN”) 101 such as the Internet. An individual but unspecificuser application may be referred to herein as user application 102-m oras user application 102. An individual but unspecific data farm may bereferred to herein as data farm 104-m or as data farm 104. An individualbut unspecific computing node may be referred to herein as computingnode 152-m or as computing node 152. Computing note 152 may include aserver coupled to a memory and associated internal and/or externalcommunication interfaces in order to support user application 102.

Server 106 may be a software-controlled system including a processingunit (CPU), microprocessor, or other type of digital data processorexecuting software or an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC)as well as various portions or combinations of such elements. Server 106may further include a storage network module 110 and/or anadministrative module 112.

FIG. 2 depicts a distributed file system (“DFS”) 200 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure, with an emphasis on depictingexemplary components of server 106 at a lower level of abstraction. DFS200 may include a server 106 that is in communication, via a (typicallyuntrusted or unsecure or public) WAN 101, with one or more externalcomputing nodes 152. The external computing nodes 152 are not under thedirect control of the enterprise administering the server 106 and/orhave a decreased level of trust with the server 106 as compared withcommunication devices 236-1 . . . 236-K that are within the server 106.Communication devices 236-1 . . . 236-K may include a local terminal orsimilar interface to provide direct, local control of server 106.Exemplary types of external computing nodes 152 include, withoutlimitation, laptops, Personal Computers (PCs), Personal DigitalAssistants (PDAs), gateways to other LANs or WANs, and the like.

The server 106 may include a boundary device 216 including a servertable 220, one or more internal communication devices 236-1 . . . 236-K,one or more application servers 244 which may be capable of providingone application 248 or a set of different applications 252, a number ofother servers 256 to provide other functions of server 106, and anenterprise database 260, all of which are interconnected by a (trustedor secure or private) Local Area Network (LAN) 264. Some or all of thefunctions depicted in FIG. 2 may be co-hosted and/or co-resident on asingle server. The depiction of components in FIG. 2 is generallyintended to be a logical depiction of the components of the system 200.

The LAN 264 can be secured from intrusion by untrusted parties by agateway and/or firewall located between the LAN 264 and WAN 101. In someembodiments the boundary device 216 may include the functionality of thegateway and/or firewall. In some embodiments, a separate gateway orfirewall may be provided between the boundary device 216 and WAN 101.

In some embodiments, network boundary device 216 is responsible forinitially routing communications within the server 106 for servicing aparticular user involved in accessing the DFS. Communications server 244with enterprise database 260 may perform the functions of storagenetwork module 110.

Although only two application servers 244 are depicted, one skilled inthe art will appreciate the one, two, three, or more applicationsservers 244 can be provided and each server may be configured to provideone or more applications. The applications provided by a particularapplication server 244 may vary depending upon the capabilities of theserver 244 and in the event that a particular application server 244comprises a set of applications 252, one, some, or all of theapplications in that set of applications 252 may be included in aparticular application sequence. Application server 244 may be used toperform the functions of administration module 112.

Referring again to FIG. 1, each data farm 104-n may include a storageapparatus 126 and a local control module 124. Storage apparatus 126 mayinclude substantially any type of computer-readable medium. Localcontrol module 124 provides a communication interface between WAN 101and storage apparatus 126. Local control module 124 may further providefirewall, gateway, routing functions, administrative and localprocessing control of its associated data farm 104. Local control module124 acts as a server for its associated data farm 104.

At least some of data farms 104-n may differ from one another based uponfactors such as the type of storage technology used for storageapparatus 126, its associated latency, and the speed and/or latency ofits associated communication link to WAN 101. Similarly, at least someof computing nodes 152-m may differ from one another at least incomputing throughput and in the speed and/or latency of its associatedcommunication link to WAN 101. Therefore, system 100 may be able toaccommodate a heterogeneous and geographically diverse networkenvironment, unlike some systems of the known art in which each of datafarm 104-n may represent, e.g., a rack of storage units in aconventional data farm. System 100 may be useful for storageapplications in which relatively higher latencies and tolerances may betolerable, such as for a storage application that is used toinfrequently access data stored for archival backup purposes.

In some embodiments, a portion of memory associated with computing node152 may be usable as part of a data farm 104 for a different computingnode 152.

The plurality of data farms 104 together provide a distributed filesystem used by one or more of user applications 102. User applications102 write data to the DFS and/or read data from the DFS, and are thusdata users. The DFS optionally operates under the control of server 106,and in particular under the control of storage network module 110. TheDFS is designed to store very large data sets reliably, and to streamthose data sets to user applications 102. A large DFS may includethousands of data farms 104. By distributing storage and localprocessing control across many servers, the DFS may grow with demandwhile remaining economical at substantially every size.

One protocol for providing a distributed file system is Hadoop, whichprovides a framework for an analysis and transformation of very largedata sets using a MapReduce paradigm. Under Hadoop, data and computationmay be partitioned across thousands of data farms 104. A Hadoop-basedDFS may scale storage capacity and I/O bandwidth by simply addingadditional data farms 104.

Server 106 may implement Hadoop NameNode functions, and data farms 104may implement DataNode functions. Under Hadoop, the NameNode isimportant to the operation of the DFS. The NameNode keeps a directorytree of all files in the file system, and tracks where across thecluster the file data is kept. The NameNode does not store the data ofthese files itself.

User applications 102 communicate with the NameNode whenever the userapplication 102 attempts to locate a file in the DFS, or when the userapplication 102 attempts to add/copy/move/delete a file in the DFS. TheNameNode responds the successful requests by returning a list ofrelevant DataNode servers where the data is stored.

The NameNode should be a highly reliable computing element, since if theNameNode fails then the DFS will go offline. An optional secondaryNameNode may be used to provide protection if a primary NameNode fails.The NameNode should be hosted on a server having a large amount of RAMspace.

Under Hadoop, the DFS stores data in DataNodes. The DFS has numerousDataNodes, and data may be replicated across more than one DataNode. Onstartup, a DataNode connects to the NameNode and is then ready tosupport DFS operations.

User applications 102 may communicate directly to a DataNode after theNameNode has provided the location of the data. DataNodes maycommunicate with each other, such as if they are replicating data. Thereis usually no need to use RAID storage for DataNode data, because datais designed to be replicated across multiple data farms 104, rather thanmultiple disks on the same data farm 104.

The distributed file system may be based on other protocols known in theart, such as BitTorrent, PVFS, or Lustre. For example, Lustre is knownas a storage-architecture for data clusters. The central component isthe Lustre file system, a shared file system for clusters. The Lustrefile system is currently available for Linux and provides aPOSIX-compliant UNIX file system interface. Storage network module 110may not be needed if a peer-to-peer protocol such as BitTorrent is used.

Each farm of data farms 104 may have characteristics such as capacity,underlying storage technology, storage latency, communication latency,local controller capabilities, etc., that are independent of similarcharacteristics at other farms of data farms 104. These characteristicsmay vary significantly from one data farm 104 to another. In this way,the DFS is operable with a heterogeneous collection of data farms.

Each of data farms 104 may be located in widely dispersed locations,such as in discreet and unobtrusive locations in structures locatedsubstantially anywhere nationwide or worldwide, so long as it isreachable through WAN 101. A structure such as a house typically hashidden spaces that are physically large enough to install acomputer-readable medium. Such computer-readable medium could beinstalled during construction or retrofitted later, for use as a datafarm 104-m. For example, FIG. 3 illustrates an internal view of a wall300 without attached drywall. The wall typically includes a horizontaltop plate, a horizontal bottom plate, and a plurality of vertical wallstuds. The wall usually includes wiring as part of the electricalsystem, and sometimes also includes separate wiring for an Ethernetnetwork. Access to the electrical system external to the wall may beprovided by an electric plug socket.

Other discreet and unobtrusive locations within a typical house includewithin or between floor joists, basement areas, attic areas, under astairway, hollow core doors, etc. Within an office building, otherdiscreet and unobtrusive locations may be available, such as under araised floorboard, above a false ceiling, within modular walls, and soforth.

The discreet and unobtrusive locations should be physically large enoughto accommodate a storage apparatus 126 (or a cluster of storageapparatus 126) and associated local control 124, typically within asupport and protective enclosure. For example, a low-latency storageapparatus 126 may include a portable disk drive or a solid state drive,which are commonly available in sizes such as approximately 3″×4″×1″. Ahigh-latency storage apparatus 126 may include a USB flash drive, whichare commonly available in sizes such as approximately 2″×0.75″×0.4″. Atablet-based local controller 124 may be approximately 7″×4″×1″. In someembodiments the local controller 124 may include communication interface128. Deployment of systems in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention will be able to adapt to new structure materials andbuilding methods, e.g., writing of data to the surface of wall panels.

Other locations may be used as a data farm 104, so long as there isaccess to electrical power and communication services as may berequired. For example, data farm 104 may be placed outside such as on arooftop, atop a telephone pole, or incorporated into renewable energysystems (e.g. solar panels, wind turbines, etc.). Such locations mayalso rely upon renewable power (e.g., solar panels, wind turbine, etc.)with battery backup for electrical power, and WiFi signals (eitherpublic or as provided by a data farmer) for a communication link. Spacein other structures such as garages and sheds may also be used.Structural materials (e.g., studs) may be pre-configured to includestorage modules. Such pre-configured structural materials may be suitedif retrofitting a structure to include embodiments in accordance withthe present invention, with minimal impact to other aspects of usage ofthe structure. Outdoor locations and other uncontrolled environments mayrequire local controllers 124 and storage apparatus 126 that areruggedized for the expected temperature swings and protected againstwind, rain, and other elements.

A higher-latency storage apparatus 126 may include one or more USB flashdrives. Flash drives are commonly available in capacities ranging from 2GB to 64 GB and higher. For example, a controller such as an Androidtablet or similar compact computing device may include a USB port. TheUSB port may be further fanned-out by use of one or more USB hubs. Flashdrives may then be connected to one or more of the USB ports. Usage offlash drives for the storage apparatus has an added benefit of typicallyconsuming less power than usage of a portable disk drive.

In a further embodiment, individual storage units having an appropriateUSB ports may be daisy-chained together, in order to provide a compositestorage apparatus 126 having more data storage capacity than anindividual storage unit.

In a further embodiment, a data farm 104 may include an expandable databus. Individual storage units may be added to data farm 104 byconnecting the additional storage unit to the data bus. Expandability ofan individual data farm 104 may also be achieved by usage of wirelesscommunication methods, which may be inherently expandable. Wirelessmethods may include WiFi (IEEE 802.11) and short-range communicationsuch as Bluetooth (IEEE 802.15.1), Zigbee (IEEE 802.15.4), etc.

All storage apparatus 126 and associated local control units 124 at datafarm 104 should be substantially concealed. A person should not be awarethat they were within a data farm 104. Data farm 104 may be used asprimary data storage or as backup data storage for remote clients.Higher latency storage devices may be more useful for backup storageapplications.

Referring again to FIG. 3, a storage enclosure 302 may be located withinthe wall 300. Storage enclosure includes the components of data farm104. Physical characteristics of storage enclosure 302 may be adapted tothe specific installation location. For example, the size, shape,capacity, etc. of storage enclosure 302, and the mounting or support itprovides to components of data farm 104, may be adapted to the availablespace. Storage enclosure 302 may not be fully enclosed, e.g., a topdirection may be left open for ease of maintenance and becauseordinarily for mounting locations within a wall there is little risk ofunwanted physical intrusion from the top. Enclosure requirements (e.g.,the degree of enclosure, which directions may be relatively exposed, thestrength of the enclosure, etc.) may vary from one installation site toanother, based on factors such as the installation location and themethod of securing the enclosure and/or data farm.

Once drywall is attached to the wall studs, the storage enclosure 302will be hidden from view. Electrical power may be supplied to storageenclosure 302 by tapping into electrical wiring that is already presentwithin the wall. Alternatively, electrical power may be supplied bydiscreetly routing power supply wires through walls, floors, etc. to thelocation of storage enclosure 302. Data farms 104 having sufficientlylow-power electrical power consumption may be powered by wirelessmethods and systems such as inductive power coupling. An inductive powersystem includes a transmitter coil and a receiver coil. Both coils forma system of magnetically coupled inductors. An alternating current inthe transmitter coil generates a magnetic field which induces a voltagein the receiver coil. This voltage can be used to power a sufficientlylow-power data farm 104. The transmitting coil may be located on theroom-facing side of a drywall wall, and the receiving coil on theinterior-facing side of the drywall wall. One portion of a data farm(e.g., a controller or hub) may be configured to receive power from anoutside source, and other components (e.g., USB devices) may beconfigured to receive any necessary power from the controller or hubthrough a USB link (or other communication link).

Similarly, data farm 104 should include a communication interface 128 toWAN 101. The communication link may include one or more embodiments suchas: an Ethernet interface to a broadband access point (e.g., a huband/or router); a wireless interface (e.g., WiFi) to a host-suppliedbroadband access point (e.g., a wireless router); a WiFi interface to apublic WiFi hotspot; a 4G wireless cell phone interface to a cell phonecommunication tower; USB link; a fiber optic link; a wireless(free-space) optic link; laser, and so forth. Power may be conserved byplacing the data farm 104 in a receive-only or listen-only mode, untilthe data farm 104 needs to respond (e.g., providing data, responding toa ping, etc.).

FIG. 4 illustrates a housing 400 for a storage apparatus 126 inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Although housing400 is illustrated as a parallelepiped with six surfaces (including twomajor surfaces and four edge surfaces), the shape of housing 400 is notconstrained to such a shape. Alternative shapes having other numbers ofsurfaces may be used, such as more surfaces (e.g., a geodesic shape,solid hexagon, etc.) or fewer surfaces (e.g., sphere, cone, pyramid,etc.). Furthermore, housing 400 need not fully enclose a space. Forexample, housing 400 may include one open side. Alternatively, housing400 may include only one surface, configured to mount storage apparatusto one side of the mounting surface, and the mounting surface beingattached on its other side to a rigid base.

Housing 400 may include one or more transceivers 402 configured tocommunicate in at least a 90 degree angle around housing 400.Preferably, multiple transceivers 402 are used to provide 360-degreecommunication in a plane surrounding housing 402. Alternatively,multiple transceivers 402 may be used to provide spherical orhemispherical coverage around housing 402. FIG. 4 illustratestransceivers 402 located on two of the three visible planar surfaces ofhousing 400. Transceivers 402 may be located at substantially anyexterior points of housing 400, including a surface, and edge, and/or acorner. Alternatively, transceivers 402 may be mounted internally tohousing 402, either behind a surface of housing 400 that is transparentto the wireless signal (e.g., a glass window for optical signals), orconfigured to transmit through an open side of housing 400.

Transceivers 402 may be used to communicate wirelessly with storageapparatus 126 within housing 400. Communication may including: sendingand/or receiving data to be stored in, or retrieved from, storageapparatus 126; controlling storage apparatus 126; and/or transmittingstatus of storage apparatus 126. Transceivers 402 may use substantiallyany wireless communication technology, such as RF (e.g., WiFi, ZigBee,Bluetooth, etc.), infrared, optical (e.g., LED or laser); ultrasound,etc.

Within housing 400 there may be included a securing apparatus tosecurely attach storage apparatus 126 to housing 400. Securing apparatusmay include screws, bolts, adhesive, tie-straps, and so forth. Housing400 may further include a controller configured to read/write datato/from the storage apparatus 126. The controller may be furtherconfigured to provide a communication interface via transceivers 402.The controller may be further configured to provide a status or state ofhealth via transceivers 402, either periodically or in response to aquery.

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view 500 of a plurality of housing400 installed within a wall, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. View 500 illustrates three wall studs 502, butpersons of skill in the art will understand how to extend view 500 tomore than three studs. Between a pair of adjacent studs 502 may bedeployed a plurality of housings 400. An individual housing 400 may bein communicative contact with at least one neighboring housing 400. Abacking material 504 may be provided, upon which at least some of theplurality of housings 400 may be mounted. Backing material 504 may be amesh, webbing, solid board, combination thereof, and so forth, that issufficiently strong in order to maintain the positions of housings 400relative to one another, so that communications with a neighboringhousing 400 via transceivers 402 may be supported. Backing material 504allows for a plurality of housings 400 to be installed in advance onbacking material 504 (e.g., at a factory), then attaching the backingmaterial populated with housings 400 to studs 502. Backing material 504may be large enough to be secured on opposite sides to studs 502 thatare separated by a standard distance as known in the buildingconstruction arts.

Communication between different sides of a stud 502 may be facilitatedby an aperture 508 within stud 502. Aperture 508 may allow for housings400 on opposite sides of stud 502 to communicate with one another. Forexample, housing 510 and housing 512, on opposite sides of the centerstud 502 of FIG. 5, may be in communicative contact with each another.The communicative contact may be by wired or wireless methods.

In another embodiment in accordance with the present invention, abacking material 506 may be provided that is attached on at least oneside 516 to a secure object such as stud 502, and having at least oneother side 518 that is configured to be expandable. Although side 518 isillustrated opposite of side 516, side may be positioned substantiallyanywhere along a perimeter or major surface of backing 506, or portionthereof, so long as the attachment of side 516 to a secure object is notimpaired. Side 518 may include a locking apparatus 514 (e.g.,interlocking protrusions) that are configured to interlock with matchingvoids of an expansion board (not shown in FIG. 5), thereby providingexpandability. The expansion board may be substantially similar tobacking 506.

The plurality of housings 400 may be in communicative contact with acontroller 520, which in turn is communicatively connected to WAN 101.The plurality of housings 400 may communicate by use of protocols knownin the art of data networking, such as a flood protocol.

In some embodiments, housings 400 may be able to report on a state ofhealth or state of failure of storage apparatus 126 within therespective housing 400, along with an identifier of the housing 400reporting the health or failure. In such embodiments, at least in partbecause of a relatively fixed spatial relationship provided by attachinghousings 400 to backing material 504 or 506, a failure map may begenerated and made available to maintenance personnel. The failure mapmay provide a graphical depiction of a specific housing 400 that isreporting a failure (or lack of reporting of good health). The failuremap may facilitate repairs by identifying failed storage apparatus 126for quick replacement.

Conventional data warehouses are housed within a trusted data andcomputing environment, such that strong data security measures againstmalicious attack is unnecessary for communications within theenvironment. In contrast, embodiments in accordance with the presentinvention include data farms located in widely dispersed locations,which are typically interconnected through an untrusted WAN 101 such asthe Internet. Therefore, each dispersed data farm 104 should include adata protection module such as a firewall, anti-virus processes, and soforth. Data protection modules may be implemented in local controller124 and/or communication interface 128. Each data farm 104 includes atrusted environment behind its respective data protection module but, asamong separate and different data farms 104, the separate data farms 104are in an untrusted data relationship.

In some embodiments in accordance with the present invention, theplurality of housings 400 may be mounted on a visible surface, ratherthan inside a wall. For example, a plurality of housings 400 may beattached to a visible surface of a wall in order to provide an artisticdisplay. The plurality of housings 400 may be secured to the wall byconventional apparatus such as screws, bolt, clamps, welds, adhesive,Velcro, and so forth.

For distributed file systems that employ a central administrative node(e.g., a DFS based on Hadoop or similar), storage network module 110 mayattend to control aspects of operating the DFS, and administrativemodule 112 may attend to billing and credit aspects of operating theDFS.

For distributed file systems that do not employ a central administrativenode (e.g., a DFS based on BitTorrent or similar), individual localcontrollers 124-n in associated data farms 104-n, in cooperation withcontrollers and storage in computing nodes 152-m, may attend to controlaspects of operating the DFS, and to monitoring of data bandwidth usagethrough the associated node 152-m or data farm 104-n for billing andadministrative purposes. Usage data so collected may be reported toadministrative module 112, which may then attend to billing and credit(i.e., compensation) aspects of operating the DFS.

Communication service and/or electrical power to data farm 104 may bedisrupted at certain times. For example, downed trees may causedisruption to electrical or Internet connectivity, or a homeowner mayperform renovation work that unwittingly affects the data farm hardware,or a homeowner may change broadband communication service providers, ormay decide to let such service lapse (such as if moving), or the servicemay be disconnected, and so forth. Many such scenarios are possible.Consequently, system operation of the DFS should be resilient to failureor disconnection of individual data farms 104 from the network.Techniques to ensure resiliency are known in the art and include datareplication, data striping, RAID storage, error correction codes, etc.

In one embodiment, system resiliency may be achieved by replicatingmultiple copies of data throughout the DFS, such that each data item isstored on two or more data farms 104. A system controller such asstorage network module 110 may monitor a state of health of one or moredata farms. Monitoring may be useful to determine utilization of thedata farm, whether the data farm is online or offline, error conditions,and so forth. Monitoring a data farm may include periodically ping eachdata farm 104 to determine if it is still functional. Alternatively,each data farm 104 may be configured to provide a periodic heartbeatsignal to the system controller. The heartbeat may include statusinformation. The system controller may keep track of whether each datafarm 104 is online or offline. If an individual data farm becomesoffline, the system controller may then replicate the data items thathad been stored on the offline data farm 104, by contacting thefunctioning data farms 104 that are storing copies of the data items.Copies of the data items may they be stored on one or more additionaldata farms 104, either by first sending the data items to systemcontrolled 110 for redistribution, or by sending the data items directlyto the selected data farms 104.

Embodiments in accordance with the present invention include a method ofoperating a DFS such that property owners are compensated for housing adata farm 104, and users of computing nodes 152-m obtain the benefit ofa secure and resilient DFS at a lower overall cost than from atraditional highly secure data farm.

A method of operating the DFS may involve actions by entities such as: auser of a computing node 152-m (referred to herein as a “Primary SourceData Client”); a property owner associated with data farm 104-n(referred to herein as a “data farmer”); and a network operatorassociated with administration module 112 (referred to herein as a “datautility” or “data utility company”).

A Primary Source Data Client may be billed on the amount of systemresources used, e.g., on the number of megabytes of data written toand/or read from the DFS, or based upon an amount of memory space usedby the client, and so forth. This pricing model may be useful forclients that do not anticipate storing much data in the DFS. Datautility company accounting may charge for rewrite processes only forservice and data transfer initiated by the client, and not for transferscaused by internal operation of the DFS (such as adjusting location ofdata storage as data farms come online and go offline).

Alternatively, a Primary Source Data Client may be billed on a flat feeschedule (e.g., a monthly fee), or a hybrid billing model (e.g., a flatfee up to a predetermined limit, with a per-megabyte fee above thelimit). Billing may also be divided into separate fees for transmissionand for storage. Client will be allowed a certain amount of monthly datatransfer (writes and rewrites) along with a lease of specific amounts ofdata storage. Different tiered memberships may be available to meet theneeds of subscription-based clients. Tiers may be structured based onfactors such as storage capacity used, bytes of data transfer used,speed of data access (latency or communication speed), the amount oftimes backups are replicated, to what regions replications are sent to,and so forth. Client-initiated rewrites or stored data would only usethe allotted amount of data transfer limits associated with the client'sspecific subscription tier. Exceeding these limits would result chargesbased on overage rates at premium costs.

A Primary Source Data Client may also be billed based on any number offactors or optional value-added services, such as the degree ofreplication or redundancy, regionalization (i.e., dispersal) of theirdata, strength of encryption, etc. For example, a Primary Source DataClient preferring a higher degree of data security may choose to havetheir data replicated on a greater number of data farms 104, with aconcomitant greater billing.

Alternatively, a Primary Source Data Client may prefer to use the DFSonly for emergency backup purposes, in exchange for appropriate billingthat recognizes the infrequent but critical instances that the clientwould be retrieving stored data. Greater latency of data retrieval forsuch service may be tolerated, because of the infrequent nature of suchaccess.

A Primary Source Data Client may continue to use other storage notassociated with the DFS without charge, e.g., local storage, remotestorage (e.g., LAN-based storage, other cloud-based storage notassociated with the DFS of the present invention, etc.), local backups,and so forth.

In some embodiments in accordance with the present invention, the DataUtility Company may provide one or more temporary data storage units inserver 106 in order to store incoming client data for storage andbackups. The Data Utility may then replicate, encrypt, and transmit thedata to multiple data farms 104.

Over time, additional individual data farms 104-n may be added to theDFS, or some data farms 104-n may become inactive due to aforementioneddisruptions to the data farm 104-n and/or its communication link to WAN101. In some embodiments in accordance with the present invention, whena new data farm 104-n is added to the DFS, its addition to the DFS maybe recorded by the storage network module 110. Thereafter, data farm104-n and storage network module 110 may exchange periodic ping,heartbeat or monitoring signals such that storage network module 110 isaware that data farm 104-n is operating normally. If storage networkmodule 110 fails to receive an expected ping response, heartbeat messageor monitoring message from data farm 104-n, storage network module 110may infer that data farm 104-n is offline and modify internal routingtables such that new data to be stored is not assigned to data farm104-n. The responsible data farmer may be notified of the status oftheir data farm 104-n and/or be penalized.

Data farm 104-n may be periodically pinged thereafter to determine ifdata farm 104-n has come back on-line. If so, and after waiting for anoptional waiting period in case intermittent problems persist, the DFSmay again utilize data farm 104-n as usual.

In some embodiments in accordance with the present invention, if aPrimary Source Data Client has not accessed some of their data for morethan a predetermined period of time, the Primary Source Data Client mayrequest that their data be rewritten in the DFS. The rewritten data (orportions thereof) may be written to the same data farm(s) 104-n or todifferent data farm(s) 104-n. By this method, operation of the DFS mayalso help guard against data becoming inaccessible when stored in anoffline data farm 104-n. If the data is rewritten to the same data farm104-n, then new data is not being written to the data farm 104-n,potentially providing a cost savings to a user who is being billed basedupon the amount of data transferred. The data farmer may continue to bepaid for the transfer and storage of the information. If storage exceedslimits specified in a lease agreement, the data farmer may becompensated based on new lease agreements with the Primary Source DataClient.

Billing agreements between a Primary Source Data Client and a datafarmer may further depend upon levels of service and a spending budgetavailable to the Primary Source Data Client. For example, the level ofservice could be based on which regions the Client's information will bestored in duplication. For example, storm or disaster prone areas wouldfall in a lower priced agreement with a higher risk factor. Locationswith faster internet infrastructures and/or lower disaster rates wouldbe a higher priced agreement. Billing may also depend upon the type ofdata farm used, latency of the storage used, and so forth. For example,usage of data farms housed in residences may be billed at a differentrate than usage of data farms housed in commercial buildings. Thesensitivity of the Client's information and frequency of retrieval maybe used to determine the rate charged.

Further embodiments of operating the DFS may include paying a bonus to adata farmer who stores and is able to successfully retrieve a backupthat is requested by a Primary Source Data Client. This will tend toencourage participation and maintenance (if any) by data farmers, e.g.,by diligently tending to the electrical and data communication needs (ifany) and security of their data farms.

Embodiments in accordance with the present invention may provide thatthe Data Utility will determine which data farmers from amongpotentially multiple farmers that are qualified under the Primary SourceData Client's request (e.g., geographic location, business/residentialdata farm, storage media latency, etc.) will provide the backup data.The Data Utility may consider one or more factors such as the presentstorage and communication capacity of qualified data farmers, which inturn may depend upon other factors such as the current internet trafficin that region, locality and site bandwidth traffic, and so forth. TheData Utility may choose one or more data farmers based on a preferredcombination of such present factors.

Embodiments in accordance with the present invention may provide achoice of different service levels to data farmers, in order for thedata farmer to select a level of service for providing data storageservices. Differing levels of data storage services may affect decisionsby data farmers regarding types of storage assets to deploy and alocation on or within their property the data storage assets are placed.For example, some data farmers may allocate 80% of their data storagecapacity to a first type of storage asset and/or a first location of thestorage assets in exchange for a service providing a guaranteed rate ofreturn, another 15% of their data storage capacity to a second type ofstorage asset and/or a second location of the storage assets in exchangefor a service providing payment at a higher rate only for storage spacethat is actually utilized by a Primary Source Data Client, and the final5% of their data storage capacity may be allocated to a third type ofstorage asset and/or a third location of the storage assets in exchangefor a service providing emergency backups and over-limit data usages byPrimary Source Data Clients. Such emergency backup and/or over-limitdata usages are not as likely but will generate proportionally morerevenue if they are utilized. This allocation may be changedperiodically by the data farmer, subject to the capacity needs of theDFS and the Data Utility.

Embodiments of the present invention may provide disaster recoveryservices to user 102-m at computing node 152-m. For example, user 102-mmay notify the administrative module 112 that some or all of their databacked up in the distributed file system needs to be restored. Anexemplary cause may include if user 102-m has suffered a failure ofprimary storage elements associated with computing node 152-m. In thissituation, a disaster recovery service in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention may include providing an ability to reassemblethe data of user 102-m from various portions of the client's data thatare backed up within the DFS. The restored data may be supplied to theclient, or may be temporarily stored in another location (e.g., in amemory within server 106), or be made accessible to the client in itsdistributed state for the purpose of distributed computing provided bycloud computing services.

Embodiments of the present invention include a system having one or moreprocessing units coupled to one or more memories. The one or morememories may be configured to store software that, when executed by theone or more processing unit, allows practicing embodiments of theinvention, at least by use of processes described herein, including atleast in the Figures and related text.

The disclosed methods may be readily implemented in software, such as byusing object or object-oriented software development environments thatprovide portable source code that can be used on a variety of computeror workstation platforms. Alternatively, the disclosed system may beimplemented partially or fully in hardware, such as by using standardlogic circuits or VLSI design. Whether software or hardware may be usedto implement the systems in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent invention may be dependent on various considerations, such asthe speed or efficiency requirements of the system, the particularfunction, and the particular software or hardware systems beingutilized.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention,other and further embodiments of the present invention may be devisedwithout departing from the basic scope thereof. It is understood thatvarious embodiments described herein may be utilized in combination withany other embodiment described, without departing from the scopecontained herein. Further, the foregoing description is not intended tobe exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed.Modifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. Certainexemplary embodiments may be identified by use of an open-ended listthat includes wording to indicate that the list items are representativeof the embodiments and that the list is not intended to represent aclosed list exclusive of further embodiments. Such wording may include“e.g.,” “etc.,” “such as,” “for example,” “and so forth,” “and thelike,” etc., and other wording as will be apparent from the surroundingcontext.

No element, act, or instruction used in the description of the presentapplication should be construed as critical or essential to theinvention unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, thearticle “a” is intended to include one or more items. Where only oneitem is intended, the term “one” or similar language is used. Further,the terms “any of” followed by a listing of a plurality of items and/ora plurality of categories of items, as used herein, are intended toinclude “any of,” “any combination of,” “any multiple of,” and/or “anycombination of multiples of” the items and/or the categories of items,individually or in conjunction with other items and/or other categoriesof items.

Moreover, the claims should not be read as limited to the describedorder or elements unless stated to that effect. In addition, use of theterm “means” in any claim is intended to invoke 35 U.S.C. §112, ¶6, andany claim without the word “means” is not so intended.

What is claimed is:
 1. A building support with a concealed electroniccomponent for a structure, comprising: a rigid support member; amounting attachment affixed to the rigid support member, the mountingattachment adapted to support the concealed electronic component; and atransceiver coupled to the concealed electronic component, thetransceiver adapted to support an external communication link.
 2. Thebuilding support of claim 1, wherein the building support comprises awall stud.
 3. The building support of claim 1, wherein the buildingsupport comprises a floor joist.
 4. The building support of claim 1,wherein the building support comprises a heating and cooling duct. 5.The building support of claim 1, wherein the building support comprisesa concrete slab, the concrete slab comprising a void adapted to enclosethe concealed electronic component.
 6. The building support of claim 1,wherein the building support is positioned in an area above a falseceiling.
 7. The building support of claim 1, wherein the buildingsupport is positioned in an area below a raised floorboard.
 8. Thebuilding support of claim 1, wherein the building support comprises anitem selected from a group consisting of a hollow core door, a rooftop,an outdoor structure, an element of a garage, an element of a shed.
 9. Abacking material to support an electronic component concealed within abuilding structural element, wherein the building structural elementcomprises one or more rigid building support members, the backingmaterial comprising: a substrate; a structure attachment along at leastone surface of the substrate, the attachment adapted to attach thesubstrate to a rigid building support member; and one or more electroniccomponent attachments disposed on a major surface of the rigidsubstrate.
 10. The backing material of claim 9, wherein the substratecomprises a flexible substrate, wherein the substrate when drapedbetween adjacent rigid building support members, is adapted tosubstantially maintain a predetermined relative physical configurationamong a plurality of electronic components coupled to the one or moreelectronic component attachments.
 11. The backing material of claim 9,wherein the substrate comprises a substantially rigid substrate.
 12. Thebacking material of claim 9, wherein the rigid building support membercomprises a wall stud.
 13. The backing material of claim 9, wherein thesubstrate is adapted to be supported by one rigid building supportmember.
 14. The backing material of claim 9, wherein the substrate maybe coupled to a second substantially rigid substrate.
 15. The backingmaterial of claim 9, wherein the electronic component comprises a datastorage device.
 16. The backing material of claim 10, wherein theplurality of electronic components comprise a data farm.
 17. The backingmaterial of claim 16, wherein the plurality of electronic componentsfurther comprise a transceiver adapted to support an externalcommunication link.